Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasir Arafat is hoping John Kerry wins the U.S. presidential election in November, according to several Palestinian leaders.
Arafat deputy and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said in an exclusive interview with WorldNetDaily that while “we do not involve ourselves in internal American politics,” at the same time “our region has been sliding deeper and deeper into chaos because of certain policies over the past few years, and this needs to change.”
While he would not directly endorse Kerry, it was clear Erekat was implying the PA wants a change in White House leadership: “If things continue the way they are, if certain policies toward our region are maintained in the years to come, there is going to be a lot of violence on both sides.”
A prominent Arafat aide who asked that his name be withheld spoke to WorldNetDaily from Arafat’s battered Ramallah compound: “The president [Arafat] is frustrated with Bush’s policies,” he said. “The president [Arafat] thinks Kerry will be much better for the Palestinian cause and for the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
While the comments mark the first time the PA has endorsed Kerry on the record, it has not been a secret that Arafat is frustrated with Bush’s leadership. Israel Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Ze’evi warned in July Arafat is biding his time until November, when the Palestinian leader hopes President Bush will be voted out of office and Sharon’s coalition government will fall.
While he would not directly endorse Kerry, it was clear Erekat was implying the PA wants a change in White House leadership: “If things continue the way they are, if certain policies toward our region are maintained in the years to come, there is going to be a lot of violence on both sides.”
A prominent Arafat aide who asked that his name be withheld spoke to WorldNetDaily from Arafat’s battered Ramallah compound: “The president [Arafat] is frustrated with Bush’s policies,” he said. “The president [Arafat] thinks Kerry will be much better for the Palestinian cause and for the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
While the comments mark the first time the PA has endorsed Kerry on the record, it has not been a secret that Arafat is frustrated with Bush’s leadership. Israel Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Ze’evi warned in July Arafat is biding his time until November, when the Palestinian leader hopes President Bush will be voted out of office and Sharon’s coalition government will fall.
Meanwhile, with Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei telling state-run newspapers that Iran will use nuclear weapons to “destroy the Zionist entity,” hundreds of thousands of dollars have been given to Kerry from the pro-Iranian lobby, possibly influencing the presidential candidate’s startling call to provide Tehran with the nuclear fuel it seeks, according to Iran’s Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy chairman Aryo Pirouznia.
Pirouznia disclosed details of Kerry’s alleged financial ties to backers of the mullah government in Iran, the most prominent of which is through Hassan Nemazee, an investment banker who has joined the board of the American-Iranian Council, a U.S. lobbying group that supports lifting U.S. sanctions on Iran and accommodating the Tehran regime. Nemazee admits to raising more than $500,000 for the senator’s campaign.
Kerry has been insisting that as president he would provide Tehran with nuclear fuel as long as it is used for peaceful purposes, a position that has many Middle East analysts baffled.
During the first presidential debate Kerry said, “I think the United States should have offered the opportunity to provide the nuclear fuel, test them, see whether or not they were actually looking for it for peaceful purposes.”
The same policy of accommodation toward Iran’s nuclear aspirations is clearly outlined on Kerry’s campaign website as well.
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